The error of his ways
by Ascendant Angel
Summary: Episode tag to S4 ep sorry dont know the name but It's the one with Dylan giving Harper the one more strike and your out comment. This story takes place the next time Harper screws up.


This is an episode tag to the season four episode with the one more strike and your out comment made to Harper by Dylan (sorry don't know the title). Please note I've not seen this episode due to my unfortunate location of England. For some reason though this just popped into my head, and would not leave me till I finished writing it.

_**The error of his ways **_

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it, I can fix it honest", the voice said pleading then the figure ran out of command "What the hell was that about?" said Dylan to Beka, but the first officer was still staring uncomprehendingly at the spot which Harper had just vacated; she'd never seen that look on him before, not even on earth, he'd looked every bit the terrified lost child. And that terrified her.

Dylan turned to Rommie looking for an explanation, but she was already halfway down the corridor after her engineer. Dylan then turned to Rhade the only person left on command (excluding Beka who was still trying to work though what she just saw) Rhade just shrugged.

Seeing no explanation forthcoming Dylan decided to just ignore the situation and carry on what he was doing with a shrug of his own.

Rommie continued after Harper but he was moving at a speed which the android didn't think was possible for humans. Eventually she made it to his quarters where he'd run to, he'd engaged privacy mode, but Rommie thought it important enough to override, the doors didn't open he'd used his extra private mode, but Rommie was desperate to get though those doors to her friend so she set the system to think there was a fire inside in which case the doors automatically opened . She ran though the open doors before the engineer had a chance to shut them with a more elaborate lock.

The sight that greeted her left her almost as immobile as Beka. "Harper what are you doing she called" She wasn't sure he even heard her as he continued this task tears streaming down his face. Finally she got a reaction but soon wished she didn't, Harper turned round to face her "Sorry" he simply said before turning back to his task. "I'm not ready yet, I'll just finish packing I wont be long unless you want me to go now" he said stopping what he was doing immediately a turning to her again.

"Harper, I don't understand your not making any sense, what are you not ready for, and where are you going?"

"Away" he said with great sadness, "like he said to"

"Like who said to?" asked Rommie completely baffled, and terrified by the sudden drastic change in her friend.

"Dylan" said Harper simply.

"Dylan told you to go away?" Rommie question now more confused than she thought it was possible.

"You mean you haven't come to escort me of the ship?"

It took Rommie a moment to recover from that one "No" she said why would I want to do that?"

"I thought maybe Dylan asked you" he said now sounding somewhat confused himself.

"Harper, Dylan never asked you to go anywhere" Rommie stated quite reasonably "I was there, remember"

"Yes he did, stated Harper firmly "and you went there"

"Harper I was standing right behind you" Rommie tried.

"If Dylan didn't send you, would you mind leaving, I've got packing to do" Harper requested.

Rommie tried a new tack "But I don't want you to go"

"You don't?"

"No" she stated calmly placing both hands on his shoulders "I need you I want you to stay"

"I'm sure Dylan can find you another engineer, a high guard one this time, who won't make mistakes"

"That's not what I meant Harper, I need you as my friend, I don't know how to function with out you" She drew him into a hug.

He seemed to lose focus for a moment "but..." he said now looking as bewildered as she felt.

"But nothing" she replied glad he seemed to coming round.

"But I screwed up" He tried again.

"Is that what this is about?" she said.

He was silent; she took that as a yes.

"Harper you could never screw up so bad that we'd ask you to leave; your our friend all of ours, and no matter what you do nothing will change that.

"But he asked me to leave, he said one more strike and your out, I screwed up again" He said still sounding just as young and lost as previous. It was breaking her heat to see him like this.

"When?" Rommie questioned again trying to make some sense out the situation.

"The last time I screwed up" Harper whispered.

Rommie checked back though her surveillance logs, private or not, through the time Harper indicated. She found record of the conversation, suddenly she was very mad with her captain in way she never experienced before.

Rommie pulled Harper into a hug, "it's ok she said you don't have to go anywhere, it's ok" fresh bout's of tears coursed from Harper's eyes, as Rommie held him tighter. As Rommie continued to hold Harper comforting him as best she could; she sent a mini hologram quietly telling Beka and Rhade to leave command. As soon as they slipped through the doors she sealed her captain in.

Dylan noted he was alone "Andromeda what's going on?" he asked. He received no reply he headed for the doors, but they remained shut. "Andromeda?" he tried again.

"My avatar will be on her way to see you shortly" said the curt voice of Andromeda through the speaker system.

Finally a good 20 minutes later Harper stopped crying, and a sense of normality seemed to return to him the confused hurt look disappeared; to be replaced by one of embarrassment. Woe I don't know what came over me there Rom doll, maybe I'm getting sick he tried to cover clearly mortified by his actions.

Rommie seemed to understand, this doesn't have to leave this room she said.

Harper looked eternally grateful "Thanks Rommie you're a real friend" he said this time reaching out to the android in his own embrace.

"As are you" said Rommie quickly returning the embrace then disentangling her self.

"Now if you excuse me I've got something to attend to" She added heading out the door "You make take the rest of the day off Harper, I've already done the same for the others".

Rommie headed up to command were her captain was pacing the deck . "Finally" he said "what's going on?" As Rommie marched though the doors sealing them behind her, and sound proofing the room. "What the hell did you think you were doing!" exploded the android. "Were do you think you get off treating a crewmember, our crewmember like that?"

Now it was Dylan turn to be confused, he'd never seen such a display of emotion from the android before, and he'd had no idea what he'd done to cause it. Rommie however was more than happy to fill him in on the error of his ways though.

Some great time later Rommie released her captain, and the trembling man stumbled and fell down the corridor to his quarters to prepare a formal letter of apology to Harper. Some many hours after that the captains hand had finally stopped trembling enough to compose the letter. He felt it best to deliver it in person, but his legs weren't quite ready for the task yet, he felt it might be another day at least before he regained full use of his limbs, and mental faculties.

This was one man who had truly learnt the error of his ways.


End file.
